*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dit

From Middle English ditten, dutten, from Old English dyttan (“to stop up, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *duttijan, from Proto-Germanic *duttijaną, from *duttaz (“wisp”), akin to Icelandic dytta. Related to Old Englis

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To stop up; block (an opening); close (compare Scots dit). · To close up.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English ditten, dutten, from Old English dyttan (“to stop up, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *duttijan, from Proto-Germanic *duttijaną, from *duttaz (“wisp”), akin to Icelandic dytta. Related to Old English dott (“dot, point”). More at dot.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ditten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ditten"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dyttan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to stop up, close"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dyttan (“to stop up, close”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*duttijan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *duttijan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*duttijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *duttijaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "dytta"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic dytta"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "dott",
        "t": "dot, point"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dott (“dot, point”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ditten",
      "ditten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dutten",
      "dutten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dyttan",
      "dyttan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*duttijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/duttijan"
    ],
    [
      "*duttijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/duttijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*duttaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/duttaz"
    ],
    [
      "dytta",
      "dytta#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "dott",
      "dott#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dot",
      "dot#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To stop up; block (an opening); close (compare Scots dit).",
        "To close up."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "ddaf40a63d8f3910066bea0364afd78a51d6de01a7a9614fb89284e7b7d3cf0c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "447dd81623f9cdaed27e97d1698f03c7faa2ba7421561bf27f2fcbf628300519",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 303353
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A ditty, a little melody. · A word; a decree.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of dite.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "dite",
      "dite#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A ditty, a little melody.",
        "A word; a decree."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "309a0921193d551dd03fd92442b1117c3404e27ae8938fe7c970bd6a352ed990",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fb3051804d1253f73d6effdc131fdaf2c76036514eed1b3f4471ff43c828a76d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 303354
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The spoken representation of a dot in radio and telegraph Morse code.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Imitative.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The spoken representation of a dot in radio and telegraph Morse code."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d85df433ff99f3e65c312d710cabc15edcf03fab918785e7e27b58294a7675f6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "87c3c304892649eb76809fb95fc48fa111980cd54cf4cc6fd93a4c2465e5b806",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 303355
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

decimal digit

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "decimal digit"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "af4730a6ed855c0a91f708d60538453a7db52dae26eeea03a124acaa8830955e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d590f25b5332ddffd2f3f13f472ccecfc9a0796d4fd4831780187f417d863f04",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 303356
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
adj

Indicator of a declared surname originating from Canadian French.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French dit (“called”). Doublet of ditto.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionditfr
  • Doublet mentiondittoen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ name"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "dit",
        "4": "",
        "5": "called"
      },
      "expansion": "French dit (“called”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ditto"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of ditto"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dit",
      "dit#French"
    ],
    [
      "ditto",
      "ditto#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Indicator of a declared surname originating from Canadian French."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "not-comparable",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "a5a07c34404b29f1438b026c9c2e10834282e41ff4a2728b075bbfbfa4aadd1d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0d4216ae2cda4813feee348fff4ee8eb15223b6c5cc2066aed884f82645f6981",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 303357
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dit →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGl0